The blender where I first discovered the Colonel. A new place to germinate seeds, perhaps?
I had a very interesting botanical find this afternoon. When I got home at 5 o’clock this afternoon, I had a craving for a smoothie. I grabbed the plastic blending container off the actual blending mechanism and began throwing in random fruits and dairy products. When I was ready for blending, I grabbed the blender and plugged it in. As I was about to place the container on top of the blender, I noticed a curious little popcorn kernel sitting in the blender. It had had begun to grow two sprouts, and one of them even had some little fibers on the end! Obviously it had come from one of my usual late night air-popped popcorn making adventures, but it was very interesting that it had germinated.
The Colonel.
I believe the kernel, which I have aptly named “The Colonel,” must have been partially popped when it landed on the blender. Because my blender and my popcorn maker are near each other in the kitchen, it’s very possible the Colonel escaped from the rest of the troops during the salting air assault (see what I did there?). As I was shaking the bowl to distribute the salt, the Colonel must have parachuted down onto the blender.
A diagram of the inside of a popcorn seed, or kernel. The germ is the embryo where the sprouts grow from. Photo courtesy of bealldeg.com.
But how did he sprout roots without proper soil and water? Well, because he was partially popped when he landed on the blender, moisture from the air got into the seed. That, combined with the warm air in the kitchen and the darkness from being under the blender container, caused the Colonel to germinate as he stretched out to reach the light coming from the ceiling. Unfortunately, he got a little too much moisture and has begun to mold a little. I didn’t realize the air in my kitchen contained so much moisture!
Now I wonder: if I plant this seed, will it grow?
Unfortunately, I don’t have the items needed to plant it on hand at the moment, but I plan on going to Gardener’s Supply after work tomorrow to pick up a small pot and some potting soil. Hopefully the Colonel will be able to rally the troops and sprout a little sprout for me.
What do you think? Will the Colonel grow?
Happy Gardening!
-Melinda Gray
I don’t know, but now I’m going to give it a try. Any excuse to eat popcorn works for me
I love it! Corn grows very easily as long as it has plenty of sunlight, so you probably won’t have a problem getting more kernels from the Colonel. Last week I accidentally sprouted a bunch of chia seeds left over from a smoothie, and ended up planting them to grow to feed my tortoises! We’ve already gotten quite a healthy harvest for the torts to enjoy
This is not only a nice curiosity, but you do very well to take it semi-seriously and ask yourself some scientific questions that lead to an explanation, or at least a hypothesis. That’s a very valuable instinct, and you were rewarded with a couple of comments. Good work.
Tim